Northstar Lottery Group won a 2010 contract to manage the Illinois State Lottery that could enrich the firm by more than $300 million over five years, but a Franklin Center investigation has discovered that irregularities marred the state’s selection process.

Just six weeks before Election Day 2010, Quinn announced that Northstar would receive the lucrative contract to manage the lottery. He noted that his own administration’s nine-member panel had reviewed all of the competing applications and recommended Northstar.

Illinois Auditor General Bill Hollandissued a scathing report last year on the Quinn administration’s handling of the selection process. His audit found that it would have been virtually impossible for the panelists to have thoroughly read, analyzed and scored the thousands of pages of documents submitted by the applicants in the few days given them. Pressed for time, some panelists did not document their evaluations in writing until after it was announced Northstar had been selected, the audit found. Read more:http://illinois.statehousenewsonline.com/8250/il-lottery-contracts-marred-by-conflicts-of-interest/

Those who run the lotteries love it when players look for consistency in something that's designed not to have any.

There is one and only one 'proven' system, and that is to book the action. No matter the game, let the players pick their own losers.